Are there any duplicates? I thought all the major ones like TestDisk have been taken care of.
Well, I don't know if the "duplicate" tools are actually duplicate, or there are just 2 different ways to get to the same executable.
If they are actual duplicates tools, I don't know if they are the same version, or if they have the same abilities/characteristics under UBCD than they have under PartedMagic.
UBCD51a1 -> PartedMagic -> Extras Menu
includes HDT, Memtest86+, SuperGrubDisk1, SuperGrubDisk2, MHDD, Plop.
I didn't test them (just saw them listed). Moreover, under UBCD there are 2 MHDD versions, so it can't be the same than the 1 presented under PM's Extras Menu.
The differences on characteristics, or version number, or hardware support, maybe makes it worth to have those tools from both UBCD and PartedMagic. And even if they are exactly the same, maybe it is easier to start some of those from UBCD than starting first PM and then running those tools, specially for older systems. It is possible that the duplicate size is meaningless to worry about this duplicates.
I prefer having a ISO image that can be used as it is, even if the virus defs are old. Leaving the virus defs out means the antivirus apps cannot be used 1) without a network connection, or 2) without creating a customized UBCD.
About antivirus tools, you
could leave those tools for customization altogether, with tutorials, links to downloads and downloadable scripts (the ones that are currently included, so the CD would still be
usable as-is. Or, As I suggested before, just leave the antivirus definitions out from the original UBCD ISO image.
I think having so many other specialized security rescue disks out there, anyone that wants to have an all-in-one UBCD including those antivirus tools can make the effort to customize and update it.
Distributing an antivirus tool that is not up-to-date is probably:
A) giving a false sense of security; and
B) using extra bandwidth to download twice the same tool.
The last addition of AVG rescue disk is a complete ISO image of more than 70MB. My suggestion: put a tutorial including links and leave it as customization. Moreover, there are other similar security rescue disks, also distributable as ISO images. Lets add the links to the UBCD Wiki and the steps to add them to UBCD as customization.
In addition to AVG's 70MB, the 3 scripts together are downloading about 150MB, making 220MB downloadable as customization and up-to-date tools.
That's why I think the balanced compromise between complexity of customization, and efficient use of updated tools and bandwidth, is actually:
_ leaving the 3 antivirus' basic files
included in UBCD, and
_ leaving the antivirus
definitions out.
This reduces the size of the included antivirus tools drastically. The other security rescue ISO images can be simply added with customization (since it is 1 ISO file and 1 menu, instead of several folders and files with updating scripts).
Adding the appropriate "warning" text (in red if you want) about antivirus definitions at the download page (and as part of the changelog) should be enough for most users. The most "lazy" ones, that won't even read a simple and very short warning, are probably better using those ISO rescue disks directly, instead of trying to run antivirus tools from UBCD.
Users could test and customize UBCD with:
-AVG rescue disk
-Escan rescue disk
-F-secure rescue disk
-Kaspersky rescue disk
And probably there are other free tools like those that can be added as simple ISO images customizations, as AVG was added for UBCD5.1a1.